Cool. But I’ve wondered about the comfort of horn headphones.
6 Likes
The horns face outward:
7 Likes
Plan to jam the compression driver in the ear canal for complete isolation and complete bliss… Obviously, I have to wear the horn hat. 
2 Likes
Still not entirely sure I believe cables make any difference, but I’m at the point in my audio journey where all that’s left is to make sure even the “in-between” parts of my system are as optimized as they can be. 
18 Likes
Cool Roomba, but what’s the hopper for?
I’ll play the 
devil’s advocate. In some cases, I now believe that cables do make a difference. With my non-BT headphones for example, when I remove the cables, the perceived volume is very low, inaudible, in fact. Even when I turn the knob to max.
8 Likes
You got me there! lol
2 Likes
Pretty! I love me some good (Kimber) Kables!
3 Likes
I believe there’s a difference between crap cables and nice ones, but I also believe that over $100 it’s really an exponential curve. I won’t pay over $200 for a cable
7 Likes
While I wholeheartedly agree that the difference between a $2,000 cable and a $200 cable isn’t as big as the gap between a $2,000 DAC and a $200 DAC, it can still be a pretty noticeable difference. Everyone has their limit on where diminishing returns hit, of course, and that’s totally fine, but I’m just saying it’s worth demoing and see if you care, so long as the cable being considered is moderately price appropriate for the system.
I’ve found the best cable bang for buck to be power cables, then analogue interconnects, then digital interconnects - but all meaningful and noticeable.
7 Likes
I’ve played around with cables, but except for one IEM & a silver coated copper cable, I’ve not ever noticed much difference.
That said, I know I don’t hear the same as anyone else and I can’t speak for what others may experience.
So, Have fun!
Mark Gosdin
7 Likes
Everyone should try for themselves. I consider three things:
- Shielding and isolation from other electric devices
- Capacitance, build, and the surface material (e.g., thin vs. thick; wire count and weave; silver or silver plating is brighter than copper.)
- Double blind testing
I’ve experienced terrible performance from cables with poor shielding even when they were theoretically immune (XLR4, USB). Very old copper cables can change from orange to brown and become brittle too. I have no trouble at all hearing major issues with some cheap or free-in-the-box cables either. Super thick and heavy cables may function as tone control devices (i.e., mask or eliminate treble issues).
At the end of the day I’m very much in @jthvac and @mgosdin’s camp, as my ears habituate fairly fast to a decent cable and I simply don’t care about alternatives. My cable money goes to other hobbies.
6 Likes
I love my crap cables. Especially if they are limited to six to twelve inches. These are used most often by me in my everyday listening, constantly plugging and unplugging components. However, RCA connectors on my crap cables are their crappiest weak link. (Cheap 1/4 inch connectors are actually the worst, but I absolutely don’t use Cheap 1/4 inch connectors anymore.) The confidence feeling of secure connection with high end RCA connectors creates a sense of ease to listen with peace of subconscious mind. Although, when intentions of headphone amplification designers enters my thoughts, I am most contented with stranded copper wire of decent gauge with 75-ohm connectors, as this is likely the designers targeted audience. This standard however is rarely utilised in my everyday listening as I have traditionally only worried about this on longer runs over two or three feet or when setting up more permanent listening stations.
.
With crap cables, I can live with tiny gauge of copper and dangerously few number of conductor strands in these short run crap cables. Cheap crap cables, equate as convenient disposable material. Short-run crap cables perform just fine until they become faulty and then I just throw them into the trash. Conversely, heavily used quality connectors on interconnects that I have plugged in and out of components thousands of times typically survive one to two decades when soldering has been done thoughtfully and carefully.
5 Likes
I’m sure you know there are some “cheap” cables that are not crap. These guys make some very decent to pretty high quality, good sounding cables I consider cheap. They are made to order out of quality materials.
I have some of their Taipan series in RCA and XLR, they’re very nice, well made too. (not Krait, I misspoke earlier)
5 Likes
Agreed. I bought some of their cables with my Schiit amps and always found them to be very good quality & value.
1 Like
That’s beautiful. What wood is that?
I have a redheart Caldera that looks similar but the woodgrain and color are slightly different from yours.
7 Likes
It’s the “lava burst” shou sugi ban european ash
8 Likes
Wow, congrats!!! Beautiful. How does it sound?
I was considering pulling the trigger on that last night (or the natural color burnt ash), but instead today bought a used redwood burl Caldera instead.
4 Likes
Wow congrats, those are gorgeous! I was going to say a light oak, but ash and oak have similar grain, look, and density. Unstained Ash is quite beautiful, and these are even better 
Really lovely grain in these, Zach and crew are expert.
3 Likes